Author: Andrew Ravens

Despite recent speculation fueled by the superstar himself, there are reportedly “no plans” for the new Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, to turn heel in the foreseeable future. A new report indicates that WWE is fully committed to Rhodes as its top babyface and that his recent teases of a character shift were a deliberate misdirection aimed at a specific segment of the fanbase.

According to a new report from WrestleVotes Radio, WWE has no intention of turning its top star to the dark side. Since his return to the company at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, Cody Rhodes has been presented as the ultimate hero, a journey that culminated this past weekend when he defeated a heel John Cena at SummerSlam to win the Undisputed WWE Championship for a second time. The new report confirms that this heroic persona is here to stay. WWE and its parent company, TKO Group Holdings, see Rhodes as their definitive top babyface and have little interest in altering the character that has connected so deeply with the audience.

The recent buzz about a potential heel turn was largely sparked by Rhodes’s own comments in recent interviews, where he discussed his extreme vision for what a villainous version of the “American Nightmare” might look like. However, the WrestleVotes report suggests that this was not a hint of things to come, but rather a “strategic misdirection.”

Sources for the report suggested that these comments were intentionally done as a way of engaging a “corner of fandom”—the more hardcore, online audience that often calls for more complex, anti-hero characters. By acknowledging the possibility of a darker side, Rhodes can maintain his \”cool factor\” with this demographic without ever actually betraying his heroic character. This fits perfectly within his long-term storyline, which has seen him resist the temptations offered by figures like The Rock, who literally wanted him to \”sell his soul.\”

The report also highlights the significant business reasons why a Cody Rhodes heel turn is highly unlikely. As the face of the company, Rhodes’s value to WWE extends far beyond the ring. He is a major ambassador for the brand, a massive merchandise seller, and the face of numerous corporate partnerships.

Former WWE Champion Dave Bautista is set to star in two massive upcoming action films for Amazon MGM Studios. According to a new report from Deadline, Bautista is closing in on deals to join the casts of the \”Highlander\” reboot and the sequel to \”Road House.\”

In the highly-anticipated \”Highlander\” revival, Bautista will star opposite Henry Cavill. The report states that Bautista will be playing the iconic and brutal villain, The Kurgan, a role made famous by Clancy Brown in the original 1986 film. The reboot is being directed by \”John Wick\” franchise director Chad Stahelski.

The report also confirms that Bautista will join the cast of \”Road House 2,\” starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, who is reprising his role as Dalton from the hit 2024 remake. The sequel will be directed by Ilya Naishuller, who is known for the action film \”Nobody.\”

These two high-profile roles further solidify Bautista\’s status as a top-tier action star in Hollywood. The former multi-time WWE World Champion successfully transitioned from the wrestling ring to the silver screen, gaining global fame for his role as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel\’s \”Guardians of the Galaxy\” franchise. He has also received critical acclaim for his performances in films like \”Blade Runner 2049\” and \”Dune.\”

The schedule for Roman Reigns\’ return tour is filling up, as he has now been confirmed for two more episodes of Monday Night Raw and the upcoming Clash in Paris premium live event.

It was previously announced that Reigns would be at the August 18th episode of Raw in Philadelphia. He has now also been added to the August 25th edition of the show, which will take place at BP Pulse LIVE in Birmingham, England, as part of WWE\’s European tour.

That European tour leads directly into the Clash in Paris PLE on August 31, and a new report from WrestleVotes has confirmed that Reigns is now scheduled for that event as well. “We’re told that decision came rather recently, as Reigns wasn’t involved in early creative plans—explaining his absence from the initial promotion,” the report stated. While his opponent has not yet been named, his addition is a major one for the international show.

The additions to Reigns\’ schedule come as his war with the new World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, and his faction, The Vision, continues to escalate. On this past week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw, the show ended with Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed standing tall after laying out Reigns, CM Punk, and LA Knight. It is expected that Reigns\’ opponent for Clash in Paris will come from this heated rivalry.

Former WWE and AEW star Jake Hager has officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling. The former World Heavyweight Champion revealed in a new interview that he has already moved on to a new chapter in his life as a full-time entrepreneur.

Appearing on the Rule Breakers with Sayara podcast, Hager confirmed that he is stepping away from the ring for good. When asked what he has been up to, he broke the news about his retirement.

“I’m getting out of wrestling. I pretty much—I could say I’m retired from it,” Hager stated.

Hager revealed that he has started his own trucking company based out of Tampa, Florida, humorously named \”Hauling Oats.\” He expressed his excitement about the new venture. \”I’m not driving—got people driving. But yeah, I’m excited. Something to stick my teeth into. Hard work always pays off,” he said.

Hager\’s retirement marks the end of a decorated career that spanned two major promotions. In WWE, as Jack Swagger, he captured the World Heavyweight Championship, the ECW Championship, and the United States Championship. He later joined AEW in 2019 as a foundational member of Chris Jericho\’s Inner Circle faction. Hager also maintained an undefeated record during a brief but successful run in professional MMA with Bellator.

WWE superstar Sami Zayn has offered his perspective on modern professional wrestling, explaining in a new interview the key difference between having a \”great match\” and a \”memorable match.\”

Guest appearing on the newest episode of HUGE POP!, Zayn discussed the current wrestling landscape. He argued that while many wrestlers today can have great matches, creating something truly memorable with specific, lasting moments is a much more difficult task. He used his WrestleMania 38 bout against Johnny Knoxville as a prime example.

“What’s harder to do now is to have a memorable match, and that match with Knoxville is a memorable match,\” Zayn said. \”I guarantee you there’s still at least three or four spots in the match that you remember. So that’s way harder to do.\”

Zayn contrasted the Knoxville match with another of his critically acclaimed bouts, his NXT debut against Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Dallas. He explained that while fans often tell him that match was great, they remember the feeling more than the specific moments.

\”It’s a great match but, you just remember it being great. You don’t remember specifics, you know what I mean?\” he explained. \”Doing something that… they remember specific moments vividly. That’s like the hardest thing to do now in an era where we’re inundated with nonstop content.”

Zayn\’s focus on creating memorable moments was on display in his recent rivalry with Karrion Kross. The deeply personal feud culminated in a grudge match on the post-SummerSlam episode of Monday Night Raw, where Zayn was able to overcome his tormentor and score a definitive victory, creating a memorable payoff for the fans.

CM Punk is set to be a major part of WWE\’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom later this month. It was announced today that the former World Heavyweight Champion will be appearing at all five of the scheduled house shows.

The five-date tour will take place from August 23rd to August 28th, with stops in Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, and Cardiff. The tour leads into the Clash in Paris premium live event, which will be held on August 31st.

A different main event is advertised for each stop on the tour. For the opening night in Liverpool on August 23, WWE is advertising that CM Punk will challenge Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. For the other four dates, Punk is scheduled to team with Sami Zayn and the luchador Penta to take on The Judgment Day\’s Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh in a series of six-man tag team matches.

The tour comes on the heels of a chaotic week for Punk. At SummerSlam, he briefly captured the World Heavyweight Championship from GUNTHER, only to lose it minutes later when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. On the following episode of Raw, Punk was laid out in a massive brawl involving Rollins, Roman Reigns, and their respective allies. This tour will be his first time back in the ring since those events as he builds towards his next major program.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has revealed his favorite match of his entire career, and in a surprising choice, it\’s a match that he lost: the main event of WrestleMania 39 against Roman Reigns.

While speaking with Bill Simmons on The Ringer, Rhodes was asked about his favorite match. He named his unsuccessful challenge against Roman Reigns, explaining that despite the outcome, the feeling in the stadium that night was a career highlight.

“My favorite match is WrestleMania 39, which is the one where (I don’t win),\” Rhodes said. \”I probably would’ve been pumped to win, certainly, but there is something about that night where things are happening in the stadium that never happen… I couldn’t tell anyone that because it’s the saddest ending, but it’s my favorite match.”

\”The American Nightmare\” explained that a specific moment during the match, while he was locked in Reigns\’ guillotine submission, is what made it so special for him. \”I can hear an entire stadium where the sound goes up start to move. I thought, ‘Oh man, they’re into it. How blessed am I that they are into this?’ When it’s that good, it feels completely real,\” he recalled. \”That acoustic moment for me made it my favorite match of all time.\”

Rhodes\’ reflection on his WrestleMania 39 loss comes after he has finally \”finished the story\” and then begun a new one. After being unable to dethrone Roman Reigns, Rhodes eventually went on to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship. This past weekend at SummerSlam, he successfully defended the title against John Cena in a brutal Street Fight, a victory that solidified his place at the very top of the company.

A new report has provided clarity on Roman Reigns\’ upcoming filming schedule for the \”Street Fighter\” movie, and a new WWE Raw appearance has also been announced for the former champion.

According to a report from PWInsider, the \”Street Fighter\” film does not begin production until September. Reigns is reportedly slated to work for four weeks on the set, with his commitments beginning on September 2nd and finishing during the week of September 26th, as long as production runs on time. The report also notes that Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has a role in the film but is not expected to be on set for as long as Reigns.

Following the report on his filming dates, it has now been announced that Roman Reigns is advertised to appear on the episode of WWE Raw in two weeks from Philadelphia. This appearance aligns with the filming schedule, confirming that \”The Tribal Chief\” has time for more WWE appearances before heading to Hollywood.

Reigns\’ next scheduled appearance will continue the fallout from this past weekend\’s SummerSlam. At the event, he and his cousin Jey Uso were victorious over Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. This places them in direct opposition to the new World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, who is aligned with Breakker and Reed. Fans will be eagerly anticipating the next chapter in their war when Reigns returns to Raw in Philadelphia.

In a landmark announcement on Wednesday, ESPN and WWE have reached a new rights agreement that will make ESPN\’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service the exclusive U.S. home for all WWE Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, starting in 2026.

The new agreement will bring all of WWE\’s major events, such as the two-night WrestleMania and SummerSlam, as well as the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, to the new ESPN DTC platform. WWE will continue to produce all of the events, and the deal also gives ESPN the opportunity to stream the pre- and post-event shows.

Executives from all companies involved praised the new partnership. WWE President Nick Khan called it a \”pivotal moment for our millions of fans across the United States: the leader in sports entertainment partnering with the biggest brand in sports media.\” TKO President Mark Shapiro added, \”We are proud to reinforce the ‘E’ in ESPN at such an exciting juncture in its direct-to-consumer journey.\” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro stated that they are \”excited to super-serve\” WWE\’s \”immense, devoted and passionate fanbase.\”

This agreement signals the end of WWE\’s relationship with Peacock in the United States. The deal between WWE and the NBCUniversal streaming service, which began in 2021, is set to expire in March 2026. WWE\’s other major U.S. broadcast partner is Netflix, which became the exclusive home of Monday Night Raw in January of this year. This new ESPN deal now solidifies the domestic broadcast future for all of WWE\’s flagship programming.

After one of my matches, I cut somebody off in my parking garage and they were like yelling at me through their car. So, I pulled over. This is where my big balls come into play. And they pull over and a guy gets out of the car. So, then I get out of the car and we\’re talking shit. We\’re talking shit. Then his girlfriend gets out of the car. Two on one. Yeah. two on one and I start talking shit with the girlfriend and I push her. Oh, holy shit. She pushes me back. Oh my god. We start fucking brawling. What? Oh, you would be Bradley Martin in a street fight. And then she takes her long ass nails, digs them in my braid, and gets me down on the ground. And this is where it takes a turn. So, and the guy just fucking stomps right on my face. What the hell is going on? I broke a face bone. Are you serious? Yeah. Have you told this story? That\’s assault. This is insane. Nobody knows this. So, you\’re welcome. Yeah. Broke a face bone. So, that\’s why I was out for so long in NXT.

ECW legend Justin Credible has returned to the ring for his first singles match in over three years. The former ECW World Champion competed for Memphis Wrestling in a \”No Rules Heritage Title\” match that aired this past weekend on the promotion\’s YouTube channel.

The match saw Justin Credible take on Sycho Simon in a No Rules contest for the promotion\’s Heritage Title. According to records, this was Credible\’s first one-on-one match since he faced HC Loc at a Paradise Alley Pro Wrestling event in June 2022. His last in-ring appearance of any kind was in the Clusterfuck Battle Royal at GCW’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break in April 2024.

While his in-ring career has been winding down, Credible has remained in the public eye, more recently for controversial reasons. In recent years, he has faced multiple allegations from wrestling promoters of taking payments for bookings and then not showing up to the events. He recently addressed these accusations in a video with former WWE star Maven, where he denied the claims.

Justin Credible\’s return, even for a one-off match, is a reminder of the enduring legacy of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Several of his fellow ECW alumni remain active in the wrestling business today, including Rob Van Dam who makes sporadic appearances for AEW, Team 3D who recently challenged for the TNA Tag Team titles, and Paul Heyman, who is a central figure in major storylines on WWE Raw.

Fresh off her successful role as the host of the two-night SummerSlam, multi-platinum recording artist Cardi B is already teasing a potential future inside a WWE ring. In a new interview, she hinted that a match could be in her future.

While speaking with Complex Sports, Cardi B was asked if she would ever consider stepping into the ring to compete. She made it clear that while she\’s not ready just yet, it is something she is considering for the future.

“I could get in the ring right now, what’s up? Who wanna challenge me — I ain’t there yet, but I’ll come for y’all one day,” she stated.

The comments come just days after Cardi B served as the official host for the massive SummerSlam premium live event at MetLife Stadium. She kicked off Night One of the event with a special opening promo and was featured in several backstage segments throughout the show, receiving praise from fans for her energy and enthusiasm.

Her tease of a future match comes after she has already engaged in social media altercations with current WWE superstars. In the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, Cardi B exchanged words with both Bayley and Chelsea Green online, with Green even pitching the idea of them forming a tag team. These interactions, combined with her new comments, have fans buzzing about who she might \”come for\” if she ever decides to step into a WWE ring.

Former WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman has taken to social media to lash out at his former employer, accusing the company of not caring about its fans and promoting \”nepotism.\”

The outburst came in response to a social media post from Karrion Kross, who had pointed out a moment from the SummerSlam post-show. Strowman, who was released by WWE earlier this year, reposted Kross’s reaction and added his own harsh critique.

“You know they don’t care about the fans!!!!! They care about nepotism a** kisser’s and there buddies!!!!” Strowman wrote.

The incident in question occurred during the live post-show for SummerSlam Night Two. While Paul \”Triple H\” Levesque was speaking, fans could be heard chanting “We want Kross.” Triple H responded by saying, “You want Brock? You got him,” seemingly misinterpreting the chant for the returning Brock Lesnar. Kross responded on social media, writing, “Unreal. They write the scripts…But the fans write the truth. Thank you, Tick tock.”

Strowman was released from his WWE contract in May 2025 and is now a free agent, having already been announced for several independent wrestling dates. The status of Karrion Kross is also in question, as it was reported last week that his and Scarlett\’s WWE contracts were set to expire this past weekend, with no new deal having been offered by the company. Strowman\’s comments also come as he still has a show, \”Everything on the Menu,\” produced by WWE Studios, set to premiere on the USA Network this fall.

A major update has emerged on the contract status of SmackDown’s Karrion Kross and Scarlett. According to a new report from Fightful Select, a WWE higher-up has stated that the duo’s contracts are set to expire this coming weekend, and no new deal has been offered to them.

The report states that a source high up within WWE has confirmed that Kross and Scarlett’s current deals are set to conclude this weekend. The source also indicated that a new contract has not been offered to either superstar. Adding another layer to the situation, the report notes that, to their knowledge, the couple has not been informed that their contracts would be allowed to lapse.

It was also confirmed that neither Kross nor Scarlett are backstage at tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw in Brooklyn, nor are they planned for the show. This news follows a previous report from a few weeks ago where Kross himself had been telling people in the industry that his contract was set to expire in August.

The news of their potential departure comes after Kross and Scarlett have been featured in a prominent storyline on Friday Night SmackDown. The duo was a key part of the build to the SummerSlam main event, attempting to play mind games with both Cody Rhodes and John Cena during their heated rivalry. If their contracts do indeed expire this weekend, their last major angle will have been in the main event picture of the blue brand.

Following their successful partnership at SummerSlam this past weekend, a new report has revealed that musical artist Jelly Roll has approached Randy Orton about a potential music collaboration. The report suggests that fans could soon be hearing a new version of Orton\’s iconic entrance theme.

According to a report from Fightful Select, WWE sources have indicated that Jelly Roll approached Randy Orton about the possibility of covering his famous \”Voices\” theme song. The report notes that Orton was \”very receptive\” to the idea, and that some within the company \”expect that Orton will push for it to happen.\”

The potential collaboration stems from the build to their tag team match at SummerSlam, during which Jelly Roll performed \”Voices\” on several occasions. The news is particularly interesting given that Orton has reportedly been very protective of his theme music in the past, having allegedly nixed a company attempt to change it in 2023.

The potential music collaboration comes after the duo\’s high-profile tag team match on Night One of SummerSlam. Despite a hard-fought effort, Randy Orton and Jelly Roll were ultimately defeated by the team of Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul.